Gravel and Wine
by parakiting
Summary: Sesshomaru is tended by a very different human that day, and Harry must struggle with language handicaps, demons and, strangely enough, his own mind. [Eventual Sess/Harry.]


**Chapter 1: **Registry.

**Summary: S**esshomaru is tended by a very different human that day, and Harry must struggle with language handicaps, demons and, strangely enough, his own mind. [Eventual Sess/Harry.] Slow paced in that regard, maybe.

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**Note:** If you accuse me of wiping off the existence of one of the most pivotal characters in the original story, not only helping Sesshomaru's, Jaken's and some others' character development but also herself, for the sake of some slashy action, then I have only one word to say to you: eh, you prolly right.

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Silver hair, painted markings, a turned cheek. This is what Harry sees when he peeks around the corner, breath muddled in fear. Blood on a sleeve, blood in the air, blood blood blood. This is what Harry realizes when he stares for more than acceptable, and a growl rips out of a smooth throat, fangs prickling the air, eyes wide and red.

Harry flinches back, hand shooting into his pocket for something that's not there, something he's missing. The man, demon, thing, softens at the minuscule threat Harry presents, eying him for a few seconds before turning away. Dismissal.

Something in Harry grows annoyed with the dismissal, but he's not completely enamored with the man to care much. If he's not a threat, he's not worth killing. Not for someone wounded anyways. Harry's eyes find the sleeve again, swallowing.

He steps out from behind the tree, and the demon doesn't react, keeps his face turned away. Harry tries another step, and another, and another, as far as he dares. He's five feet away when the demon's face shifts a little, and Harry stills.

"I can help," Harry says quietly, and he understands his foreign tongue does nothing. Still, he settles down, rummages through his bag until he finds the broken wand. His fingers still around the wood before dropping it, searching for something else. His fingers finally find the bandages, loose and clean. He removes them, glances up at the demon who still refuses to look at him, and scoots closer.

A warning shift from the man, and Harry slows, frowns. Harry remembers dismissal, the difference in power, red eyes, and if there is one chance for salvation, he must take it.

The bandages wrinkle in his fists.

.

The third time he comes, the demon stares him down, lashes dark against pale cheeks. Harry does not return the look, continues on his ministrations. He's gathered a basin from the stream, has decided to clean the dirty sleeve stained red.

When he reaches for it, the demon's threatening demeanor rises, tells him to stop. The man finally speaks, voice smooth and deep, and curious.

The words fall on foreign ears, useless. Harry stares helplessly for a moment, a hot feeling of loss building up in his throat, reminding him where he is. He crushes it, lowers his eyes, and with a tight lipped smile reaches again for the sleeve.

The demon does not rip off his head, and though this might have do with the closest arm being unavailable, Harry marks it as progress.

He churns the red out, and the demon says nothing.

.

The demon does not attempt conversation again.

…

When Jaken finally found Lord Sesshomaru, the demon lord was already healed, clean, and straightening out from his resting place. Sesshomaru gave him a cursory glance as he dropped to the floor, spouting out apologies about his tardiness, and really he did not doubt his lord not at all.

"Jaken." Sesshomaru's voice was curt, bored. "Let's go."

Jaken nodded firmly, grasped the staff in his hands tighter, and followed after his master. There was a foul smell coming up near the path, and Jaken held a sleeve up to his nose. If he was this affected it, the imp worried for his master, who had a far greater nose.

"Ah, Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken started, stilling, "might I suggest another path? I think a human died down there."

The dog demon continued, unperturbed. Jaken mumbled lowly to himself, then quickened his pace to catch up. The smell intensified.

When they came across the carcass, the imp didn't know whether to feel proud of himself for guessing correctly, or just disgusted. He settled for the latter.

"Looks like the wolf demons got here," he sniffed, noting the bite marks, the ugly scuffle of imprints on the dirt. He was a little annoyed they didn't finish the boy off, instead leaving the carcass for others, like the Lord Sesshomaru, to suffer its existence. Jaken glanced down at its dying face, and almost flinched.

The boy's eyes were wide, and green. An ugly ugly green, Jaken assured you. It made the imp uneasy. Especially since the strange objects perched on the boy's nose seemed to intensify its size. He blinked when his master moved forward, long pale hand reaching for the boy's head and settled it on his knee.

"Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru said nothing and grabbed Tenseiga. Jaken's eyes widened, and he swallowed thickly.

A test, Jaken realized. Like before. He felt a moment of doubt. Another test? So the lord wasn't so sure of its execution. A spike of irritation attacked the imp. So he didn't know if the earlier blow to his loyal servant would kill him or not?

The dog demon sliced at something Jaken couldn't see before sheathing his sword, and watched the effects. Jaken leaned forward, nervous in spite of himself, waiting for a breath. The green eyes were still. He slanted a measured look to his master, and the demon lord only waited.

Then.

A cough, groan, green eyes watering from the dryness. When the boy finally gathered his wits, he looked up in fear, reverence, awe, all these common human words.

Lord Sesshomaru said nothing and straightened, a hand pushing the human into a standing position. The human, with is ugly ugly green eyes, stared after Sesshomaru as the demon lord strolled ahead, done with his test.

Yes, test. Nothing more.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken said.

"Come," he replied simply.

The imp hesitated for a brief second, glancing at the revived human, before rushing after his master. It took him a second to realize the green eyes were following them. Lord Sesshomaru said nothing, so the imp remained silent about his concerns. He glanced back.

The human was staring after Sesshomaru in awe, hero worship maybe. Well, it was only inevitable, after that test, Jaken reassured himself. Still. He frowned. There was something there in that face, in its expression, when he hesitated a second before.

The human. It was looking at his master with a calculated consideration, dangerous. Green eyes. It was silly, Jaken thought, to be alarmed for just a moment by a weak human being.

Still, Jaken felt uneasy with his back to it the whole time.

.

Harry walks behind the little imp with its rigid spine, and forgets how he got there.


End file.
